Drug Scandal in the Netherlands

On Wednesday, Danny Nelissen tried to stop the De Limburger, a
daily newspaper published in Maastricht, from publishing
some parts of a story about drug taking by the former Dutch team PDM.
De Limburger had reported that the Dutch team, for which Nelissen had ridden,
had taken drugs en masse. The last Dutch Amateur World Champion
was confronted with evidence that was revealed after a long enquiry.

On Thursday, Nelissen won an injunction against "De Limburger", the regional paper
who made this scandal public on Wednesday. The judge decided that the paper had to delete a
part of an article in which Nelissen was accused. According to Nelissen he was unaware
of this case and never got doping from doctor Sanders. He also stated that Sanders'
assistant had denied statements against him.

During a lawsuit it appeared that in the medical practice of former PDM doctor Wim
Sanders drugs were given on a large scale. Sanders, who is widely considered as the man
who is responsible for the intrapilid affair in the Tour de France of 1991, supplied riders
with drugs like anabolic steroids and EPO.

In 1995 the FIOD (Fiscal Inquiry and Tracing Service) traced Wim Sanders for
tax-dodging of dfl 100,000 and discovered the illegal doping circuit. It appeared that not
only cyclists but also bodybuilders, ice-hockey players and track-and-field athletes were
involved in this doping and black money circuit.

In the FIOD file the whole case is revealed from the start to the end, from the purchase in
chemist's shop up until the administering to the riders. The assistants of Sanders mentioned
the names of a number of PDM riders. One of the accused riders was Danny Nelissen.

The records show that Doctor Wim Sanders
had given drugs to the riders. He had given drugs (ACTH and EPO) to racing cyclists and
other Limburg athletes like ice-hockey players and bodybuilders.
Sanders also admitted to giving drugs to the soigneur Fons van Heel
of the Superconfex team, the old team of Jan Raas.

Fons van Heel, former soigneur with Superconfex and now with the Rabobank team is accused
of buying drugs from Sanders. One of his orders appearently was 8 ampules of Eprex (EPO),
worth dfl 1600. Van Heel is currently on holiday and could not be contacted for his
reaction. Jan Raas reacted when questioned by reporters that he would like to
ask the same quesitons of Van Heel as they.

Between 1990 en 1995 Sanders bought at least 178 ampules Eprex at different chemist's
shops, without having kidney patients, who need this drug. Sanders used the medicine
exclusively for doping for PDM and others. This is documented in records that were
found during a search at the house of Sanders. Sanders has refused to give comments.

A number of amateur cyclists who were mentioned in the case consider a lawsuit because
they feel wrongly accused and want their names cleaned.

Mr. Hiddema, the lawyer of Sanders stated that the FIOD had no right to search and take
medical records due to privacy provisions. The provisions prohibit the contents of the
records from being revealed and the FIOD files should not be made public like this.
Hiddema has advised Sanders the take legal actions.

The Fiscal Inquiry and Tracing Service (De Fiscale Inlichtingen en
Opsporingsdienst - FIOD) discovered and revealed the illegal doping circuit in
1995. The FIOD started then to search for the fraudulent trail left by Sanders.
On Wednesday, Sanders was publicly named. His assistant Janine Simons
disclosed several details of the sportsmen that they had dealt with.

And it was here that the name of Nelissen was introduced.

Five other assistants who were investigated said that the drugs included
EPO, amphetamine, testosterone and other hormone preparations.
The evidence was found in the records of the chemist and the administrators.
Former PDM Manager, Manfred Krikke has also admitted that
PDM was taking something.

In 1991, the team withdrew from the Tour de France suddenly
during the race because the riders were reported to have suffered
from a virus. PDM quit cycling in 1992. They had riders like Sean Kelly,
Erik Breukink, Raul Alcala, Rudy Dhaenens (Professional World Champion
in 1990) and Danny Nelissen (1995 World Amateur Champion).

The dope network was part of a "black money" circuit. A
doctor is not allowed to provide illegal dope to sportspeople in the Netherlands.
The records of Sanders provides the first detailed account of the doping
practice in European cycling: from the sale of the forbidden substances
by local and foreign chemists, the use of syringes and methods of taking
the drugs including during the Tour de France, the black money circuit
and the swindles by business interests.

Former PDM Manager, Manfred Krikke: "We were not the most ethical
team in the peloton. We were just on the edge.
But the directions from the PDM company was that there
were to be no "doping affairs" not that "there was to be no drugs".

In the records of the doctor's assistants the names of those involved are
kept: riders of the PDM team, several of the top Limburg riders like
Frank Ackermans, Pascal Appeldoorn, Roger Vaessen and Roger Smeets. Also
bodybuilders and members of the ice hockey team "The Smoke Eaters" from
the Limburg town of Geleen. They all came to the practice for injections.

The PDM team had great success in 1990 at the height of its drug taking.
Four riders were detected, and two had to stop with acute heart problems.

Sanders came under scrutiny for his medical handling of riders during the
scandalous withdrawal of PDM during the 1991 Tour de France The
complete team had to stop after Sanders had fed and injected the riders with
drugs. This was not brought to light at the time. Sanders continued on his
way with PDM. In October 1991, a secret payment of 50,000 guilders was made
and also a 75,000 guilder payment.
That led to the then manager Manfred Krikke to call in the FIOD to investigate
the medical busines in the team.

"I know that I have injected testorerone. I did this for a young rider
of 27 years. He said to me then that he would die for his sport"

This declaration of ex assistance Maria Konings is part of the 300 pages
of evidence against the Geleen doctor Wim Sanders who was involved in
the doping scandal now public in the Netherlands.

Further evidence from Maria Konings and her 5 assistant colleagues
outline how the Doctor had drugged cyclists, icehockey players, and other
athletes for high amounts of money during 1990 and 1995.

Assistant Karin Vrehen was that they gave the drug Eprex to many riders.
Eprex is the drug EPO. When questioned by the FIOD, Vrehen said: "I had
always thought that the substance Eprex was a vitamin preparation, although
I now know better that it was a banned drug."

Sanders began his medical practice in 1974 and was not really into sports
medicine at the beginning. He was active in the handball team, Vlug and Lenig
in Geleen and the Geleen ice hockey team, the Smoke Eaters. Between 1990
and 1991 he was the doctor for the PDM cycling team. Many other professional
and top amateur riders found their way to his practice in Geleen.

I have much more on this but have not time today to continue translating
the Dutch information.

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